August 3, 2025
Susan Hoover
Dear family and friends,
Greetings once more in the name of our great God, the One who knows it all. He knows every burden we bear, every care and sorrow. And He bears them with us -- truly His yoke is easy and His burden light! What a wonderful God we serve.
Time has a way of slipping away on us. August already! We've been here nearly three months now. Life here has become routine for us, but there are still surprises every now and then. Some pleasant, and others not so pleasant. But all in a day's work!
Tina had not come for nearly two weeks, since they had the Verlobung celebration for their son, two weeks ago. This is like an engagement celebration for a couple about to be married, and always takes place two weeks before the wedding. In their setting, the groom's family prepares the food and the place for the Verlobung, and the bride's family provides the wedding food and such. So Tina had much work at home for a week or two, getting ready for this celebration for their son. They held it at their home, on Sunday afternoon two weeks ago. I missed her here! Many others did too. She always brings her sewing machine along, and does mending and fix-it jobs while she is here. The residents know already if something needs a button or just a little repair (or even a bigger repair job) Tina is the one to go to! So everyone was glad to see her come again. She usually comes about three days a week. Her husband, Hein, comes every day (except Sunday.) And they live about half an hour's drive from here, so that is a lot of traveling back and forth for them!
On Monday (July 28) Hein and Tina brought a visiting couple along for the day. Ben and Justina Knelsen from Rio Verde colony. They are interested in setting up a similar home for the elderly and homeless in their area, so they wanted to come and see what it is like here and how it works, etc. We enjoyed learning to know them. They are related to the Krahns in Ontario, which of course means they are related to me too. :-) The ones in the Calton area.
That same evening, we had more company. Daniel and Judy Baez and their two little boys, and Vicenta Bontrager, (Judy's mother) from Luz y Esperanza came to visit Peter and me. What an enjoyable evening we had. They spent some time visiting with the elderly and the other workers here as well, before we brought them into our house for the rest of the evening.
Thursday evening a group from Luz y Esperanza came for a service here with the residents. Steve and Castorina Eichorn, Ryan and Janice Eichorn and their family, plus a few more were here.
On Wednesday we had our gift exchange, which was a merry gathering! Florencia had my name, and I received a pretty, insulated mug from her. Stainless steel on the inside. I learned later that that day was a national Friendship Day here. Hence the gift exchange. I use the mug to keep the water hot when I drink mate! It works as a Thermos.
Several residents have come, and some have gone, since I wrote last. Julian came on Saturday, and left again on Monday. He begged to go back "home", which for him was only the street. He asked for strong drink here, but Hein told him we don't have any here. He was very happy here until he realized what it all means. On Sunday evening he was very unhappy, so on Monday morning Joel took him back to town and dropped him off at the police station. The police always need to be notified when we get new residents, or when someone leaves or dies.
Lucia was here for probably two weeks. She also became discontented, thinking someone was stealing her clothes, etc. She was taken back to her home on Thursday or Friday. She does have a home to go to, she lives with a niece and family.
Ramona came, Dora came, and Elsa came. Pablo came, and his family came today to pick him up to die at home. He was bedfast and was not eating anymore ... so everyone knows he wouldn't last long.
Dora is very sweet, but she is mute. She can hear and understand perfectly well, but she cannot speak. She communicates by motions and other means.
Ramona and Elsa are both quite senile which can get interesting at times. They share a room and somehow their clothes tend to get mixed up! They will take each other's clothes and put them under their pillows and sleep with them ... :-)
Friday afternoon Joe Miller and his wife Ana and daughter Juliana, and another girl, Saron, stopped in for about an hour. They live in Hohenau in Paraguay, close to Encarnacion. Peter and Joe have been in communication for quite some time, but this was the first time they met. It was an interesting visit!
Today was the wedding of Rufus Hildebrand and Leanna Hildebrand, and we were invited. (Hein and Tina's son). So yesterday afternoon Peter and I went shopping for a wedding gift, which was pretty easy to find. We wanted to go to the bookstore yet to get a card, but sadly, the bookstore was closed already! Here in Paraguay, cards are not to be found in the supermarket, only in a bookstore. We decided to go to the Harders to see if they would happen to have a card that we could use. Oh yes, of course they did! They were delighted to help us out. Being with the Harders is always so refreshing and encouraging! Just simply being in their presence is peaceful and restful. They are very busy people, but always have time to talk and to help. Their prayers and encouragement mean a lot to us.
So anyway, we got a beautiful card from them, to go with our wedding gift for the young couple! It's something that would only happen to the Hoovers, I think. I can't imagine anyone else begging for a card. 😂We wanted to pay for it, but of course they wouldn't hear of it.
And today, we went to the wedding! First of all we attended the regular morning service, then that was dismissed, and the wedding began at 11:00. I love weddings. This bride was dressed in the the traditional black, which is the only acceptable colour to wear for the ceremony. (No, they are not Old Colony Mennonite, they are Bergthaler.) But as soon as the ceremony was over, the bride changed into a lovely cream-coloured dress. They have a large reception centre type of space adjoining their sanctuary, with a fully furnished kitchen. Tables were attractively set, and a delicious meal was served. As soon as one person finished and left the table, the servers removed the used dishes and replaced them with clean, sparkling clear glass ones. Servers also kept the food bowls filled. It was all very efficiently done! The tables were set up in a U shape, with the bridal couple and their parents sitting in the bottom of the U.
So we have had a wonderful day! And now comes tomorrow, and the next day, and the next ...
Our tourist visas are about to expire, and since we have not yet received our papers that we are waiting for from Canada, we will need to just get another tourist visa. This means leaving the country for at least 24 hours. We had planned to go to Brazil. In fact, our friends Rudi and Helen Toews were planning to take us and it would have been a lot of fun! However we discovered that all British country citizens need a visa to enter Brazil, even just for one day! And it would be quite costly .... and anyway, long story short, we needed to come up with plan B. Now we are going to Argentina, leaving tomorrow morning. We had planned to go by bus, but just today now some people from Bergthal colony whom we don't even know, said they are going to Asuncion tomorrow and they would like to take us along! (The town in Argentina where we are going is just across the river from Asuncion.) So, now that is plan C and that is what we are planning to do at present. We plan to stay in Clorinda, Argentina, for two nights then come home by bus on Wednesday.
Strangely enough, after this last plan was made, we received a message from the bus station, telling us that the 6:00 a.m. bus, on which we had reservations but had not paid for yet, was not going to be running tomorrow morning. And so, the Lord was one step ahead of us and had already made other arrangements! I guess it was the Lord who put it into the hearts of these people to offer us a ride to the city. I suppose they saw us at the wedding, although I don't remember meeting them. The man said he was in a group of men and heard Peter talking about needing to go to Argentina.
Note -- if we would have a Paraguayan cedula we wouldn't need a visa for Brazil even if we are Canadians.
It is quite warm and humid tonight and I hear thunder rumbling ... and it is nearing bedtime so I think I will wind down here and start preparing for the night.
Thoughts and prayers to those who are grieving the loss of loved ones -- may the God of all comfort, comfort you and give you peace. Thinking especially of Eleanor Hoover, and Ida Kleinsasser.
Blessings to all,
Susan for the Hoovers